ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson took time out last week from running the No. 1 Fortune 500 company and educating Congress on the energy business to chat with local heavy-hitters at River Oaks Country Club.

More than 250 members of the United Way's Alexis de Tocqueville Society listened with rapt attention as he covered a range of energy-related topics. Rather than taking his allotted time for speechifying, Tillerson devoted a half-hour to answering questions from the audience.

His friendly fashion, we are told, belied the buttoned-up image that many have of Big Oil CEOs. Many among the crowd who reach deep into their personal pockets for the United Way found Tillerson to be engaging, personable and open, if never far off message.

Rich Kruger, ExxonMobil Production Co. president and United Way board member as well as a society member, kicked off the evening that was hosted by Phoebe and Bobby Tudor, society co-chair.

Among those noting Tillerson's message that educating Washington on the energy business is Priority One were Diana Hudson and Lee Kaplan, Dorothy and Mickey Ables, Jack Moore, Pattie Dale Tye, Lynne Liberato and James Flodine, Susie and Joe Dilg, Harriet Hart and Sonny Wallace.

It's in the bag

How cool was Leigh Williams' birthday cake — a calorific knock-off of every girl's dream bag, an Hermes crocodile Birkin!

The confection by Who Made the Cake was the centerpiece of a birthday celebration last week at RDG where Greggory and Pat Burk hosted some 60 of her friends and family members. Kristi Schiller, who had to stay home because of the flu, commissioned the bag that was so realistic that Leigh's aunt tried to pick it up for a closer look.

Dressing up the birthday girl was every girl's best friend jeweler Franco Valobra, who loaned Leigh a stunning opera-length strand of pearls. "40 has never looked so good," she e-mailed after the party.

In the mix were noted interior designers and college pals from Leigh's Ole Miss days Vickie Love Greenlee in from Los Angeles and Katie Stassi of New Orleans. The hometown crowd included Courtney and Bo Hopson, Tim Moloney, Alex and Brady Knight, Stephanie and Ernie Cockrell, Katherine Phelps, Elizabeth and Gary Petersen and Meredith Riddle.

Big bang for 50

It's lock-and-load time as the Greater Houston Gun Club kicks off its 50th anniversary celebration tomorrow with special events continuing through Saturday. Cora Sue Mach, who knows a thing or two about creating spectaculars thanks to her long experience on the charitable social scene, chairs the festivities. Of course, she's working hand-in-hand with club president Harry Mach, who happens to be her husband.

Nadim Nasir chairs the sporting clays tournament that is highlight of the day-long activities on Saturday. There will be a shooting exhibition, awards ceremony, Mexican fiesta and fireworks. Bring your ear plugs!

The private shotgun sports complex has hosted sporting clays tournaments for a number of non-profits including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; PBS; the Alley Theatre and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Sight 'ems

Don Short and Hotel ZaZa owner Charles Givens holding court on the terrace of Monarch Restaurant at Hotel ZaZa where they puffed stogies and sipped some mighty fine wine as a sociable postscript to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's One Great Night men's smoker. Among the gents were Robert Del Grande, Gerald Smith, Stephen Newman, Marcus Smith, Charles Tate, and One Great Night Chair Lee Godfrey . . .

November birthday girls Denise Bush Bahr and Ellie Francisco taking over Tootises on Friday with a storewide birthday bash that included a seated lunch by Tony's, musical birthday wishes from songbird Yvonne Washington and a low-profile presence of host-with-the-most Mickey Rosmarin. Among the 100 party girls were Nancy Dinerstein, Donna Vallone, Carol Sawyer, Julie Brown, Tami Ernst, Laura Spalding and Olga Bush . . .

A pride of social lions enjoying Sunday supper at Ciao Bello — Arlene and Marshall Hoffman, Maureen and Jim Hackett and family, Cynthia and Tony Petrello with daughter Carenna, Rufus Cormier and son Geoff, Betty and Manny Leal and family to name a few.